Check List for a Dynamite Hubpages Article

Have you?

Before hitting that publish button, here is a laundry list of items to check for before showing your hub to the world. I have learned most of these from other fabulous hubbers and compiled a list to use when you want to "pimp" out your hub.

Used with permission | Source

1. Did you add any tables? If your hub content can accomodate a table, make one. People love to look at tables because the information is categorized quickly and easily. Even if you don't think you can add a table, think harder! Tables look professional and draw readers in.

2. Did you make a kick ass first photo? If you notice, when you post a hub, the hub feed grabs the first photo from the article. Make that one stand out with effects and/or text. Do you not know how to do that? Check out this article on how to use a free online photo editor.

3. Did you add any web dividers? When you find yourself drawn to a hub, do you notice the pretty web dividers on the article? Randomcreative is a great hubber you should learn from. Her hubs are always laid out beautifully with web dividers.

4. Did you write a summary? This is one of the better ways to get Google to pay attention to your hub as it shows up under the title on search pages. Especially if your hub has a slow opening paragraph, use the summary to hook the reader into looking at your hub. It is also what shows up on the hub feed and any backlinks you create on Facebook.

5. Are your photos cited?Make sure you have proper attribution to each photo you use in your hub.

6. Did you use subheadings, bullets, lists, and bolded titles? Internet readers are lazy. You will have far greater success if your write in "bytes". In the television world, reporters are always talking in 30 second sound bytes; chunks of time that listeners can handle without growing bored. The same goes for articles. Use at least one list- either numbered or bulleted- in your article.

7. Have you strategically scheduled your social media sharing? Certain times of day are better. This hub explains how to make the most of those links. Make Social Media Work for Your Hubs.

8. Did you preview how the layout looks? Oftentimes my hub looks great, until I preview it and see that the advertisement creates that ugly looking space between text capsules. Rearrange your hub so that there are no spaces. It looks ugly and makes readers think there isn't anything more to see.

What to Do When I Become Hub Rich

1. Buy a boat

2. Go to Tahiti

3. Spend the rest of my life hub lovin' other hubbers

4. Start a support group for disillusioned hubbers

5. Buy 10,000 followers on Twitter, just because

6. Write for fun

7. Get a boob job

8. Buy a house just to stock my alcohol and chocolate

9. Build an orphanage

10. Have my own cooking show

9. Did you place it in a group? That option is along the menu bar with the reorder, summary, and tags. Put it in a group right away so you don't get backed up with lots of hubs to categorize.

10. Did you add an 'about the author' spot? Right after you are done writing, insert a divider and add a small paragraph at the end about why you are qualified to write this article. It doesn't have to be long or serious, but just a quick blurb that gives your reader a snapshot of who you are as a writer.

11. Did you add a video, poll, or quiz? Any capsule that adds a level of interactivity and personality helps your hub tremendously. Some hubs can't use all three, but aim to get at least one in there. Billybuc adds personal videos all the time, and based on his popularity- he's onto something!

12. If it is a long hub, did you add a table of contents? This article explains how to add a TOC which your readers will greatly appreciate if your hub is longwinded.

I love magnetic notepads

13. Is it in the right category? It will get more traffic in the topics section if it is accurately categorized. Sometimes you have the idea of what the hub will be about, and then it morphs halfway through. Make sure the category is appropriate.

14. Have you joined a Facebook group? These lovely groups are a great place to get further exposure for your hubs. There are plenty so ask around!

15. Have you posted the link in Google's Web Crawler? Once you have published, insert the link into the web crawler so Google will index your page more quickly.

16. Did you OD on Amazon or EBay capsules? Try not to go overboard. One or two is usually fine for a hub. Too many and you look desperate.

17. Is your hub in the "magical" window of length? Articles less than 500 words are lame. Articles more than 2000 words better be good or you will lose readers. Aim for 1500 words. It seems to be long enough to feel meaty, without boring readers. Oftentimes, freelancers submitting magazine essays note that most publishers want articles this length. Learn from the experts and follow suit.

18. Did you add a link at the bottom for people to sign up using your referral tracker? I am amazed at how many hubbers do not learn about referral trackers. It is a way to make money! Check out Miss Olive's hub on referral trackers.

19. By golly, did you read it out loud? Always read it out loud before you publish. Even if you have checked your spelling and grammar, reading aloud will catch awkward sentences.

20. Did you check other hubber's articles that are related? Nothing spreads hub-love more than to link up other hubber's work. Everyone benefits from more traffic and your reader will be happy you've done the research for them.

Comments

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Sarah 2 years ago

thanks for all the info. New to the site and need all the help I can get

Austinstar 2 years agofrom Somewhere in the universe

Hey Julie! I think it's time to update this great hub. I've got people wanting to convert their "Bubbles" to hubs and I'm referencing this hub for sure.

Jacob Thomas 4 years agofrom Dallas, Texas

Thanks for hub, just i was wondering for the same .. :)

Richie Mogwai 4 years agofrom Vancouver

Thanks for your hub. This is just what I need today, before I publish my next two hubs. I had no idea how to make a TOC and dividers. Now I do, thanks to you. It seems that I will have your hub in front of me before I release a new hub into the world.

petertebin 4 years agofrom Maryland

This is a great hub! Voted up and will look back to help with my future hubs!

Saloca 4 years agofrom Liverpool, UK

Great hub and SO helpful! Thanks!

Derrick Bennett 4 years ago

These are things I really need to look at because only a few of my hubs have these, which could be the reason why they are doing so well. Thanks.

Another great hub Julie! I really feel like an old timer after reading this hub. But change can be good and when it comes to Hubpages and article writing change happens quickly and you gotta keep up. Thank you for the info. Keep the jokes coming too!

NotPC 4 years ago

Wonderful hub! Thank you for sharing these tips! I know they will help me a great deal!

mrshoki 4 years agofrom New Zealand

Awesome hub Julie, a great way to make sure we don't miss anything. I will definitely re-visit when writing my next hub. Voted up and more.

Shasta Matova 4 years agofrom USA

I really like the idea of an "about the author" paragraph. I think it would be terrific to remind the reader who wrote the article and provide a link to the profile page.

Phil Plasma 4 years agofrom Montreal, Quebec

Great tips all of them. I don't quite do all of the things you'v mentioned in all of my hubs, but in various of them have done most. One thing I always do is reread my hub three times before I hit the publish button to try to catch any mistakes. Great hub, voted up and useful!

maggs224 4 years agofrom Sunny Spain

Useful, interesting and helpful thank you for this I have voted up and hit the relevant buttons :D

Supersonic777 4 years ago

This is a fantastic hub! I will definitely be coming back to this for tips! Thanks!

melbelle 4 years agofrom Southern United States

Thanks for the info. I printed it out to use in the future!

CrisSp 4 years agofrom Sky Is The Limit Adventure

Brilliant! Google web crawler is something new to me. I'll come back later to check on that as well as points #'s 7, 10 & 15. Just peeping for now but this hub is worth reading. Thanks a bunch for sharing Julie. Voted up and useful!

kelleyward 4 years ago

Fantastic Hub Julie! Never heard of adding your new link to Google webmaster. I tried this to see if I get quicker results. Thanks for a fantastic hub full of useful information! Take care, Kelley

Sharon Smith 4 years agofrom Northeast Ohio USA

Excellent advice! I believe I have finally gotten to a point that I do most of these things on a regular basis. It took awhile, there is SO much to learn.

Rich 5 years agofrom Kentucky

Julie-

Fantastic Hub! I wish I'd have seen it weeks ago!

Being new to the Hubpages, I obviously have much to learn. RSS feeds have been lightly researched, but comments such as "may draw in virus" have kept me away from them. Also, I've never been completely satisfied with the appearance of some of my hubs. The wed dividers are a necessity, but haven't taken the time to find out either how to make them or where to find them. I'll take full blame here.

Thanks so much for this Hub! Fantastic!

vespawoolf 5 years agofrom Peru, South America

Great checklist! I'll definitely refer to it from now on before publishing a hub. I plan to research more on RSS feeds, as you've recommended. Voted up and shared!

Ok - I just have to ask... I notice how you used boob job in this article... was that intentional to pull traffic from the use of boob? ha ha

Great advice - I was trying to think of something I would add to what I have learned here but I am pretty sure you covered it all. As a hubber, I think one of the biggest things of concern to me is the length. I do this as a hobby and if the hub is too long... my kids often call for my attention long before I can finish. This means that I leave a bad comment on the bottom. Well done on your hub!

Trinity365 5 years agofrom tx

WOW! Julie awesome hub! Good job

Trinity365 5 years agofrom tx

Thank I say

Trinity M 5 years ago

WOW Julie, awesome hub! I picked up several pointers I have been oblivious to. Thank you for a really useful hub, I plan to go through it with a fine toothcomb to make sure I’m doing all the right stuff. Voted up, useful and shared!

Christiano Odhiambo 5 years agofrom Nairobi

This is good information, I had not thought about the table of contents.

Victoria Lynn 5 years agofrom Arkansas, USA

Wow, Julie! I'm so impressed. How did you learn so much in the short time you've been at HubPages. Wow!!!!

KrisL 5 years agofrom S. Florida

Really good list . . . I'm not really trying to make $ from my hubs, but this inspires me to try!

supermom_in_ny 5 years agofrom NY

Awesome checklist! I'm guilty of not writing 2000 word hubs. Sorry. I like to give people some info, so they can go take action quickly. My hubs are short and to the point. However, I do like to add polls and tables. That's because I LOVE stats! Voted up, useful, shared and pinned! ;)

MissyGear 5 years ago

These are definitely some great tips! I've already begun utilizing them with my own work. Thanks for the great hub.

Author

Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

@bridalletter - your welcome!

Brenda Kyle 5 years agofrom Blue Springs, Missouri, USA

What a wonderful hub with fresh ideas! I didn't know I could add a table of contents. I have at least 2 hubs that can benefit from it. I have tried adding some tables, they are not my strongest point on certain subjects. I need more tips on what to put in those tables. I know I need to reread the tracking hubs. I have seen some very nice hubs, but didn't know how it was done. The RSS feed is another one I would like to do, but have not attempted yet.

Perfect Checklist! Thank you.

catgypsy 5 years agofrom the South

Julie, great hub! I was wondering, how do you add the dividers?

Joshua Patrick 5 years agofrom Texas

Thanks again, Julie. This info is extremely helpful, especially for us newer Hubbers. Voted up and shared!

Diane Ziomek 5 years agofrom Alberta, Canada

I must admit, there are a few things I have overlooked when creating my Hubs. I am in the AP but this will also help make the Hubs I write for it even better. Thank you! Voted up, useful, pinned and shared!

Melanie Chisnall 5 years agofrom Cape Town, South Africa

You've provided some incredible tips on here that I didn't even think about before. Fantastic advice for anyone writing a hub and wanting to make sure it grabs attention. Thanks for sharing! :)

Girish puri 5 years agofrom NCR , INDIA

Great share for the new writers , very much helpful, voted up.

Anamika S 5 years agofrom Mumbai - Maharashtra, India

Wow! I am happy I dropped in. These tips are awesome. I have never followed any check list so far but I am sure that following these can help make my hubs more appealing to viewers. Hub voted up and helpful.

Yourglobalgirl 5 years agofrom UK

Excellent hub. I learned a lot from it.

Rose Clearfield 5 years agofrom Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Awesome tips all around, Julie! This is a great resource for both new and veteran hubbers.

Amber522 5 years ago

I came across this Hub, because someone else made the great decision to share it. Now, I will do the same! I am still trying to learn about the site, and hope to one day become an expert hubber. This hub will definitely help me with that goal. Once, again great hub and very useful advice!

He Who Triumphs 5 years ago

Wow, what a checklist! Thanks for all the info; I've got some work to do! Awesome hub with great advice!

talfonso 5 years agofrom Tampa Bay, FL

Same advice, dynamite Hub! Thanks for the refresher - I needed that to generate quality content!

Bryony Harrison 5 years agofrom UK

I never knew about google crawl; that was useful. Thanks.

lilmama4273 5 years ago

Wow this is great information. I have go check my hubs and do as you suggest. Thanks!

Michelle Liew 5 years agofrom Singapore

Julie, this is incredibly useful information that hubbers should know! Thanks for sharing!

Rebecca Mealey 5 years agofrom Northeastern Georgia, USA

Thanks for the tips Julie. We all need these basic reminders. Great job!

Author

Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

@christy- thanks so much!

Christy Birmingham 5 years agofrom British Columbia, Canada

What a useful hub, Julie! Great work putting together this check-list to help even seasoned hubbers. :)

Author

Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

@susie- glad you liked it. Thanks for stopping by!

susiebrown48 5 years agofrom Clearwater, FL

Loved the advice! Printing and hanging next to monitor, voted up and useful! Thank you!

Author

Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

@tglowv- oh great...I'm glad!

Tiffany 5 years agofrom West Virginia

This is a great hub! I love all of the tips. It is very useful for me.

This is a Dynamite Hub Julie. I am boookmarking it so that I can go over these points just before I hit the publish button. I don't think you have missed out any point that needs to be checked before publishing a hub. Thanks for sharing.

Voted up and across and sharing.

Mary Craig 5 years agofrom New York

I've bookmarked this hub to come back and read again. Though I do most of the things you listed I don't do ALL and that's what makes for a great hub!

You've done us all a great service by writing this nice, concise hub.

Voted up, useful, awesome, and interesting!

Author

Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

@JS thank you for the encouragement!

JS Matthew 5 years agofrom Massachusetts, USA

This is a great Hub Julie! You have laid out the basics in a simple and informative format. You have done your homework and you have learned so much in 2 months! Keep up the great work! Voted and sharing.

JSMatthew~

Author

Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

I also just added another hub link that explains how to make RSS feeds that link directly with your content by grabbing categorized hubs rather than just using the standard RSS feed linked to your profile.

Author

Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

So I updated this hub because I want people to know that you need to make sure your RSS feed is linking to related hubs. That is crucial as I got flagged for adding an unrelated RSS feed on an earlier hub. HTH!!

Author

Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

Your welcome :)

Joshua Zerbini 5 years agofrom Pennsylvania

Julie,

As promised I am finally here! Awesome hub, tons of useful information here for sure! I hope this hub will help out a lot of new hubbers out there! I currently do everything but the dividers and rss feed, so maybe now is the time to start? LOL

Very informative hub Julie, Thanks!

Author

Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

@christin- thanks for sharing!

Christin Sander 5 years agofrom Midwest

I do most of this, except I haven't really explored doing an rss feed at the bottom - that is actually a very good idea and I am looking into that now - so thank you :) great hub voted up and shared.

Author

Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

@cab- glad to help!

Corey 5 years agofrom Northfield, MA

Thanks for writing this, I am pretty good about checking my hubs and using the same list that you do, however, I always manage to forget the RSS. I have to update a lot of my hubs now. Thank you for pointing this out!

Author

Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

@tipstoretireearly- glad to hear it!

tipstoretireearly 5 years agofrom New York

Great tips. I learned a few new things!

Author

Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

@janine- Thank you so much for sharing my work!

Author

Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

@vocal- yes we can be friends and sisters! :) I'm so encouraged by your comment!

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Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

@rustic living- thanks for sharing!

Author

Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

@vinaya- you are right about content. I figured that was sorta obvious :P

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Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

@mary- LOLOLOL that's hysterical. I love lucy!

Author

Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

@learn- dividers are fun and add style for sure.

Author

Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

@karen- glad you found something new to absorb :)

Author

Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

@natashalh- good for you for making your own!

Janine Huldie 5 years agofrom New York, New York

Omg, this was so absolutely awesome and full of a ton of valuable information. I am pinning this one to read again and referencing it. Have shared and voted too!!

Audrey Hunt 5 years agofrom Nashville Tn.

Julie - This is a keeper! I'd say I've learned more here than on any other hub. I want to be friends... no, I want to be sisters...how about just glueing myself to your brain? Yes, that would work. Thanks so much for sharing all of this much needed information. Made my day - wow - I'm a very happy camper.

Elizabeth Rayen 5 years agofrom California

Great Hub Julie! wonderful info and layout. I certainly gained more for reading this! Thank you so much for putting this out there!

Thumbs up and shared! Lisa

Vinaya Ghimire 5 years agofrom Nepal

You have shortlisted all the attributes of great online content. I try to follow these norms. But I believe, the most important point of online publishing is writing contents that people want to read more than what you want to write.

Mary Hyatt 5 years agofrom Florida

I do most of the stuff you mentioned, but I've never done the RSS feed. I don't do the Web crawler either...got to learn to do that!

I love the look of the dividers, but I don't know how except to cut off a photo and use that. Has to be a better way.

I've bookmarked this Hub, thanks

I voted this UP, and will share, Mary

P.S. I just reread you want list: if you get a bigger house for your alchohol and chocolates, you might get hired to do a talking show! Did you ever see the I love Lucy where she gets plastered and is a weather reporter on TV?

Learn Things Web 5 years agofrom California

Great tips! I have been using a lot of them but I didn't know about dividers.

Karen Hellier 5 years agofrom Georgia

Julie,

This was great and I learned a lot from it even though I have published over 100 hubs. Thanks so much for the info. Voted up, useful and interesting.

Natasha 5 years agofrom Hawaii

I'm working on adding dividers. I don't have any yet, but in the process of making a couple! I hope to update and improve my hubs with more 'bling' soon. Thanks for the advice!

Catherine Spinola 5 years agofrom New Jersey, USA

Your hub is terrific Julie..!! After reading your hub and checklist, I see that I have used some of your suggestions already, which makes me feel positive about my hubs.. Thank you..! I can't wait to input some of your other suggestions in my next hubs..! Thumbs up..! Catherine

Chloe Davis Smith 5 years agofrom Minnesota

Amazing hub with some very useful tips. Bookmarking this so I can look it over with each new hub. Voted up and Awesome.

Sinea Pies 5 years agofrom Northeastern United States

Julie, I truly learned something new that is fabulous! Adding the URL to the webcrawler. Never knew I could! Thanks so much for the tip. I'll be getting busy with that task right away.

When it comes to RSS, I LOVE adding it to my hubs but, unfortunately, when each link is clicked on it does not open in a new window. I'm kind of fanatical about having all my links open in a new window so that my readers will not lose track of my page. But, at least they will have gone to another one of my own hubs. Hmm. Gotta think more about this.

This hub is wonderful. Voted up, useful, shared and you now have a new follower!

Author

Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

@TT- I forget too! LOL that's why I made a list. In fact, I had to go through that very hub and make sure I did everything I told everyone else to do! hehe

Author

Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

I'll see if I can't add some links later..I know of a few places.

Author

Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

@ignugent- I know it's awkward, but it really helps.

Terrye Toombs 5 years agofrom Somewhere between Heaven and Hell without a road map.

Julie, a great compilation of some very useful information. Thank you for this as I often forget to add a lot of these and then have to go back and edit. :) Great job! VUMS!

KDuBarry03 5 years ago

Very informative! I've been looking everywhere to try and find web dividers! Thank you so much, Julie!

ignugent17 5 years ago

Thank you very much now I can add more to the list. I find it funny to read out loud but I will try it anyway. My husband will be laughing . This is very useful.

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Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

@billybuc- thanks...:)

Bill Holland 5 years agofrom Olympia, WA

Great checklist Julie; I still don't do dividers....something new tends to confuse me, but I'm sure I'll get to it eventually. Anyway, great job!

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Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

@cwilson- Wow! Thank you :) I really appreciate it!

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Blurter of Indiscretions 5 years agofrom Clinton CT

@cybershelley- thanks so much!!

Clarissa Wilson 5 years agofrom Ohio

Great Hub once again! Useful information and helpful! Thanks! I tweeted, liked, pinned shared with my followers, voted up and marked as useful, beautiful, awesome and interesting. Thanks for another wonderful Hub!